Metro: Last Light is relentlessly linear, right up until it isn’t. It gives you a trusty ally to follow, right up until he betrays you. As the game pulls the rug out from under you, leaving you completely alone, it becomes clear: all of this was by design.

It may be a rare sight today, but a demo is one of the best things an upcoming game can do for its audience. Of course, not all demos are created equal—the best demos generate excitement and set expectations for what’s to come, while the worst demos convince us not to buy. What makes a great demo?

If you’ve played video games, you’ve encountered a handgun. In the right game, a handgun can be an object of menace or empowerment. But video games often treat them as a starter weapon to be replaced as soon as possible. What makes for a great video game handgun?

Call of Duty has returned to World War II. It wasn’t so long ago that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare saved us from drowning in World War II games. Unfortunately, its success meant we spent the next several years drowning in modern military shooters instead, and when we got tired of that, game devs gave us near-future…

Last fall, Dishonored 2 ripped me right out of my gaming funk. I tore through the game in two days, scouring every square inch of its wonderful setting, Karnaca. Dishonored 2’s brilliant self-assurance is compelling; I couldn’t stay away. Now, after the release of Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, I found myself…

I need a break from open-world games. While I’ve had a blast with Breath of the Wild, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and Ghost Recon: Wildlands, I’ve been craving something considerably more linear. In a happy coincidence, Electronic Arts’s Dead Space 2, one of my favorite games, recently showed up on Xbox One via backward…

I don’t think people say that Mass Effect “feels like sci-fi,” or The Witcher “feels like fantasy.” But people do say that Red Dead Redemption “feels like a Western,” and I’m compelled to agree. Why? Listen to the game.

Games have a zombie problem. They can be your basic slow shamblers or your fast berserkers, but whatever variation appears in a game, zombies are little more than mindless pinatas meant to be killed in large numbers. Zombies are rarely a challenge to fight on an intellectual level, and an enemy that doesn’t get…

Age of Empires is finally back. After twelve long years, Microsoft has finally decided to resurrect one of gaming’s most beloved franchises, and fans are ecstatic. If you’re unfamiliar with the series, Age’s return might not seem like such a big deal. After all, it’s not like strategy fans are lacking options. …

If I have one guilty pleasure series, it’s Assassin’s Creed. Normally, I’m not one to get excited about yearly releases, let alone broken games. But I’ve played and mostly enjoyed every game in the series. Recently, I returned to Assassin’s Creed II, and, much to my surprise, I realized just how much I’ve lowered my…

The mission seems to be going well enough; it’s been tough, but you’ve persevered, making your way through some tense situations by avoiding the gaze of patrolling guards. You’ve just infiltrated the enemy base—now it’s time to assassinate someone. You’re hiding, maybe in the bushes or around a corner, and wham, some…

Bulletstorm was one of the best games of the last generation, tragically ignored because of an awful marketing campaign, an even worse PC port, and the fact that EA wanted audiences to spend $60 for a seven-hour campaign, which is a steep price by any metric. It’s too bad because once players got past all that, they…

You drop right into a firefight, plasma crackling as it flies past your head. You push forward, blasting away at a pack of grunts, causing them to panic. An Elite taunts you with a burst of blue fire from his rifle, but he backs off when, having caught your attention, you go after him. Starting right in the thick of…

Saints Row 2 is the greatest sandbox game of all time. Grand Theft Auto 5 has a bigger budget, Saints Row IV gives you superpowers, The Witcher 3 has a better story, and Assassin’s Creed II takes you to far more exotic locales, but Saints Row 2 holds a special place in my heart. It’s not the most original or…

Innovation is like a game of telephone. Someone creates a message, but as it spreads, it loses its meaning. Lessons that seemed clear back in the first-person shooter’s formative years became taken for granted and eventually forgotten. Shooters today are all about weapon limits, level design set pieces, and…

Eleven years after its release, the first-person shooter F.E.A.R. still feels ahead of its time. It is one of the smartest shooters ever made, a game that won’t wow you with a screenshot but should impress you if you play it.

Do you have a game you regularly return to, just because you like how it feels? For me, that game is Forza Horizon.

I’ve been thinking a lot about Rage lately. Last week, I dove back in. Minutes became hours, and I soon realized I was having a blast. When I was finally done, I had to ask: why doesn’t Rage get the love it deserves?